Saturday, September 12, 2015

On the Road Again

There were several days of travel that were not headed to anyplace in particular, just south.  We had decided not to make the journey to Haines since we visited there when we cruised to Alaska several years ago.  Instead, we decided we would visit Steward/Hyder further down the line.  As we backtracked, we passed many things we had seen before but, they looked different with the fall colors.  We traveled around Kluane Lake before and marveled at its size as well as the different wind patterns that impacted portions of the lake.  This time, as we traveled around the lake the winds were calm so our attention was drawn to the shorelines and surrounding hills.  We often had seen signs alerting drivers to watch for mountain goats but we saw few of them.  This time, as we rounded a curve I spotted a group of them close to the roadway.  Jim stopped as quickly as he could and I jumped out to take pictures.  At this time of the year, the females come down from the higher slopes with their young to graze.  Soon enough, they will migrate but for now, I was happy to get a chance to see them.


I won’t bore you to death with commentary but take a ride with us through more of the beautiful Yukon Territory.

Mountain vistas were all around us.  They evoke a feeling of peace and wonder for me.  Grandeur and majesty are two words that apply at every turn.
Beauty abounds.

No trip through this area is without challenges and road work.  The areas where the pavement gave way to gravel and dust were plentiful.  Often, traffic would be stopped for 15 or 20 minutes at a time.  But, who really cared?  With so much beauty all around and not hurried schedule to drive us, we didn’t.
Like an infinity pool, sometimes the roadway seemed to fall into the belly of the mountains.


Another example of death and life, side-by-side.  The wildfires renew the land as is nature’s way, but it is sad for us to see the stark remains of trees that have succumbed to the flames of fires.  Life returns and is renewed in time.
Kluane Lake looked lovely in the brilliant sunlight.  It is massive in size and it takes quite a while to drive around it.
The elusive mountain goats finally showed themselves.  I hurried back taking pictures as I went hoping to get close enough to get a close-up or two.  About that time, a bicyclist came by.  He made so much noise with his peddling, the goats bolted for higher ground.  Oh, well.
As we neared the end of our driving day, the clouds began to drift over the mountains.  It was a great way to end a day.

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